The feisty temper of King, combined with his undeniable competitiveness, made it a move the Richmond coach knew would not go down well.
The Tigers were in front – comfortably – but King’s body, while more intact than it was this time last year, could have done with a quarter off ahead of his 100-game milestone this weekend.
“I made sure I spoke to him on the phone because I thought he’d go berserk at (the messenger),” Hardwick said after the Tigers’ 64-point win.
“As soon as I saw that red vest, I thought he was going to punch whoever gave it to him.”
Hardwick need not have worried. King’s renowned passion, which sometimes translates into ‘white-line fever’ moments and had a hand in why he did not play more games for TAC Cup team the Northern Knights, did not kick into anger mode.
After five surgeries at the end of last season, the 29-year-old knows he is mortal – and on the eve of his milestone, is more enthusiastic about preservation than he has been before.
“‘Dimma’ actually did quite a nice thing and said, ‘Let’s look after you and get you through’,” King told the AFL Record this week.
“You never play at 100 per cent and these days I’m known to cop a knock and pull up a bit sore.
“He actually grabbed the phone quick smart before I could sit down and said, ‘This is what we’re doing’, and gave me his reasons and I actually said, ‘Yeah, this is OK, you don’t have to worry’. He said, ‘Good, now sit down’.”
King has been described by his coach as a “warrior” and “tough competitor”. There is a case for him to be detailed as a passionate team man, emphasised by his reluctance to discuss the personal milestone.
Basically, reaching 100 games does not mean anything to the hard-nut forward “unless they win”. Unless the Tigers keep surging forward and continue their winning streak that has left them in position to play finals for the first time since 2001.
King admits it will be something he can look back on when he finishes playing, when he sits down with his family and friends and reflects on what has been an almost unexpected career forged from a non-traditional path.
“If you do have kids, then the father-son rule comes into it,” King said.
“But, while I’m still playing, my heart and my goals are still set on bigger things in regards to playing finals and the ultimate success of winning a Grand Final would be better to me than anything as an individual milestone.”
King was with the Knights for three seasons but injuries – and his attitude – kept him to three games.
Looking back, he knows he was not mature enough to cope with the under-18 system at the time. He was often told he was not good enough; that he was too small, was not skilful enough and possessed that infamous hot temper.
“To be honest, at 16-17, a lot of kids aren’t mature enough,” he said.
“A lot of kids have all the skill in the world but don’t make it. I was one of those kids that didn’t have all the skill in the world and I still didn’t concentrate hard enough.”
He was also playing for North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley League (now Northern Football League), where he played his first senior game at 16. That thick skin he had been working on paid off.
“In that competition, it was no walk in the park,” he said.
“I think that’s where they toughen you up a little bit more.
“I guess you learned to look after yourself and get a thick skin at a young age or you weren’t going to go very far in that competition.”
A pre-season with Essendon followed North Heidelberg’s 2005 premiership, but at the end, King was told he was “probably 12 months too old” for what the Bombers wanted. He also felt there was “sort of a mark” against his name in regards to the “aggression side of things”.
It might not have opened the AFL door immediately, but a chat with Essendon recruiter Adrian Dodoro encouraged King to “give the VFL a crack” and not to die wondering.
Then Coburg coach Andy Collins took a punt on him. He took King under his wing and gave him a spot in the 2006 side. That December, King was rookie listed by Richmond.
“He’s one guy I thank and still stay in touch with, because he pretty much started it,” King said.
“If it wasn’t for him getting me down to Coburg and giving me the opportunity, I don’t reckon I would have made it.”
King made his debut for Richmond in round four, 2007, against the Western Bulldogs. He had 12 possessions, laid two tackles and was reported for wrestling Scott West.
It was West’s fourth and final wrestling charge in his 324-game career. It was King’s first of six fines to date, and cost him almost his entire promoted rookie pay packet.
“I walked away and bought myself a pie with sauce afterwards with the change I had left,” he said.
Such is his popularity, King’s teammates have occasionally chipped in to contribute to his monetary punishments; three of which happened in his first four seasons. He has no desire to know the total of his fines (it is $9600) but tips it could have bought him a car.
He is a self-proclaimed fussy eater who basically dines on meat and potatoes, limited vegetables and fruit, and Mongolian beef from a Vietnamese restaurant on Victoria St in Richmond, eaten the night before every Melbourne-based game with Daniel Jackson and Ty Vickery.
He gets steak cooked for him on interstate trips in favour of the traditional night-before carb-laden buffet.
Away from football, King has plenty going on. He has lived in his Northcote house for four years, which he renovated himself to make it his “own home”, and has completed a certificate four in security management and is working on a diploma. He has also been a qualified plumber since he was 20.
His interest in coaching has grown. Last season, he worked with Coburg and is now helping out Tiger forward line coach Mark Williams and midfield coach Danny Daly and sitting in on meetings at Punt Road.
For King, the “now” is about making sure he has options when footy stops. He knows how quickly it can go away and wants to make sure he goes out on his own terms, which won’t be for a while, given he just signed a one-year extension.
Today, it’s about living and appreciating what he gets to do every day.
“I actually love it. When I sit back and look at it, I don’t know why, but I tend to laugh a lot because there’s been a lot of interesting things in my career,” he said.
“It will be good to, once it’s all over, sit down with my mates and my family and just go, ‘Yeah, wow – this is what we did’.”
